How to Save Money on Your Electric Bill This Summer

Summer is upon us, and that means three things: skyrocketing temperatures, humidity, and electric bills. For much of the United States, temperatures can easily reach the 90 degree mark, or higher, and remain there for extended periods of time. In response, the ubiquitous air conditioner turns on and stays on, jacking up the electric bill for millions of consumers all summer long. However, relief from utility expenses and hot temperatures can be had with less effort and investment than you might think.

First, let's consider ways to reduce the amount of heat in your home. Before we even work within the house, we must start outside. Eliminating the glare of the sun on your home can make an immense difference in indoor temperatures. If you don't have trees or tall shrubbery on the south and west sides of your home, consider planting some. As they grow and mature, their leaves and branches will shade your home from the sun during the hottest periods of the day, at no expense to you.

Now, on to the indoors. We'll begin with windows and doors. Every window should have blinds or curtains. Keeping these closed blocks sunlight from shining into your home and raising its temperature, again with no cost to you (other than putting up blinds or curtains where there are none.) It almost goes without saying that if there is any breeze whatsoever, open the windows and let Nature help cool your home! As for your exterior doors, make sure they are tight fitting and weather-stripped. Cool air sinks and flows along the floor, and will slide right out beneath your doors if you haven't prevented this.

Next, we address lighting. Replace all of your old-style, incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent light bulbs (they look like screws or swirls; ask for some at the store if you are unsure.) Incandescent light bulbs use 90% of their energy to generate HEAT, and only 10% to generate light. Every light that you turn on is doing far more to raise the temperature of your home than to light it. Fluorescent bulbs use a fraction of the electricity that incandescent bulbs do, and they last literally years longer before burning out, providing a big savings to you in both electric bills and home cooling!

In the kitchen, avoid using the oven as much as possible. This generates an immense amount of waste heat, particularly if you are only cooking a few items. Consider purchasing a counter top toaster oven, which can cook items just as hot as a conventional, large oven, but by generating far less total heat and using far less electricity. The savings keep piling up!

In the laundry room, your clothes dryer is one of the greatest users of electricity (and generator of heat) in the house. Only run it for a full load of clothes, and, if possible, dry items outside on a clothes line. Put that hot sunshine to work for you, again, at no cost!

Finally, we reach the last items to address: Appliances that actually work to keep your home cool. The first and largest, of course, is the air conditioner, another massive gobbler of electricity. Consider these options for your home:

- If you have central air conditioning and must run it, try turning the temperature up two or three degrees. You will not notice the difference, but every degree counts, lowering your energy bill.

- If you can, use window or wall air conditioners. These allow you to only cool the rooms you are actually using, instead of cooling the entire house when you are only in one room. This uses far less electricity.

- The last, and best trick of all: Ceiling fans. Although a ceiling fan, running on high, only uses about as much electricity as a 60 watt light bulb, it can make an entire room feel much cooler, even though it is not actually changing the temperature, like an air conditioner does. If that wasn't enough, a ceiling fan will circulate air throughout the room and the house, meaning that, if you are also running the air conditioning, you can turn the temperature up several degrees, and still feel very cool, as the ceiling fans work to spread the cool air around!

With just a little effort and careful thought, you can remain cool and comfortable all summer, without the pressure of a dangerously hot electric bill.